RANGPUR, Apr 03: Garlic cultivators across Rangpur district have become disappointed due to the plummeting market price of the produce this season.
According to sources, the peasants under district cultivated the spicy crop with the hope to earn good profit this season. But their hopes of getting fair price got shattered.
At present, garlic is sold at a much lower rate discouraging the growers to cultivate it in the next season, sources further said.
Many poor and marginal farmers had borrowed money at a high interest rate from the money lenders and NGOs to cultivate the crop.
Some of them harvested their produce at the earliest possible time to repay loan. But the falling market price of the crop is upsetting them, sources alleged.
Growers are counting huge losses as garlic is now being sold at Tk 700 to Tk 900 per maund (40kg) whereas it was sold at Tk 1200 to Tk 1300 per maund last year, sources further said.
Expressing disappointment over the circumstances, a number of growers told The Financial Express that they were eager and made dynamic effort to enhance the output of the crop this season but low price of the spicy crop made it difficult for them to make any profit. They said they might not opt for garlic cultivation next season.
Maminul (40), a grower at village Nazirdaho village under Kawnia upazila expressed his dissatisfaction saying that he cultivated garlic on 35 decimals of land this year spending additional money. But now he has to incur huge loss because of declining price of the crop.
Talking to this correspondent some growers expressed their dissatisfaction over the drop in garlic prices. They urged the government to take necessary steps in this regard so that they can get fair price of their produce.
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